


The Facade

by aryastcrks



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, jealous daryl!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 13:03:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13435293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aryastcrks/pseuds/aryastcrks
Summary: This takes place during season 5 of the walking dead, when Rick’s group is new to Alexandria. There’s a dinner party at Tobin’s house. Daryl gets jealous. Arguments ensue





	The Facade

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katie/gifts).



For Katie

Carol twiddled her thumbs impatiently as the timer in the kitchen ticked away; tick tock, tick tock. _Will these cookies be ready in time?_ she thought. She knew she had to keep up appearances for the community, but it got tiring. She wished more than anything she could take a break from this act, just for a short while. There were only a few people she could truly let her guard down with; her mind wandered to one of those people.

Carol walked across the kitchen and peeked out the window; Alexandria was getting ready for one of its dinner parties, and Carol was in charge of bringing the cookies, as always. She made the best cookies, everyone told her. If only the Alexandrians knew what else she was capable of.

She saw Spencer and Olivia chatting happily as they walked to Tobin’s house for the party. Olivia looked pretty with a light pink blouse, and Spencer handsome in his baby blue button down. They were each carrying a tray of food; she wondered what they were bringing, and then shook her head. This was all so silly. What was the point? This was the fucking zombie apocalypse, and everyone here was living in denial, pretending that everything was okay and normal, putting on false smiles. _I hate this place,_ Carol thought with a hint of disgust and a bigger hint of anger.

The kitchen timer dinged and Carol went to the oven to take the cookies out. The gentle chocolately smell wafted throughout the kitchen and she breathed it in generously; although making cookies got tiring, the smell never did.

Carol realized she had a few minutes before she had to leave for the party, so she decided to give Daryl a visit. She wondered how he was adjusting to this place; she wondered if he had taken a shower yet. Carol dusted off the cookie crumbs from her hands and trotted out of her front door and down the steps.

Denise was walking past Carol’s house as Carol walked out and smiled and waved. Carol conjured up her fakest smile and waved back.

“Beautiful evening, isn’t it?” Carol beamed.

“Oh yes! Are you excited for the party?” Denise replied.

Carol rolled her eyes internally. Of course she wasn’t excited. She was already sick of this place.

“Definitely! The cookies are all ready. Just saying hi to Daryl before coming over.”

“Okay! Just don’t forget those cookies! They’re the best part of every dinner party!” Denise walked away and Carol immediately dropped her smile.

Carol lightly jogged to Daryl’s house, less than half a block away. When she got to his door, she mindlessly fixed her blouse and smoothed her hair, thinking nothing of it. She knocked on the door.

She heard what could be none other than Daryl’s raspy voice call out “go away!”

Carol laughed softly and went inside his house without hesitation. She found Daryl inside, hair as greasy as ever, sharpening his knife and smoking a cigarette. She looked down and smiled; that was her Daryl.

“I said go away!” Daryl said, his back facing the door as he sat on the couch, sharpening his knife away.

“Have you taken a shower yet?” Carol said, ignoring his command to leave.

Daryl turned around, the slightest hint of a smile on his face: “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Just me? You flatterer. You going to the party, pookie?” She responded, sitting next to him on the couch.

Daryl responded with a negative grunt.

“So that’s a no,” Carol sighed. “We have to keep up our appearances here, Daryl. This place is ridiculous, but it’s also safe. We need to be able to stay here. Come to the party. For me.”

Daryl sighed in return. “I’ll think about it,” he said looking up at Carol through his long, oily hair.

Carol smiled genuinely, and ruffled his hair. “If you do end up coming, please shower first,” she said with a hint of humor in her voice, getting up from the couch and getting ready to leave.

Daryl half-smiled. “Hey Carol-“ he paused.

“Hmmm?” Carol turned around hopefully.

“You look nice,” he mumbled, looking down at his knife.

Carol smiled softly. “I thought you said I looked ridiculous.”

***

Carol walked to the party with her plate of cookies, replaying her interaction with Daryl over and over again in her head. She realized she was blushing. She shook her head and whispered to herself: “Get it together, Peletier. You’re not a little schoolgirl.”

Carol walked up to Tobin’s door and knocked. You can do this, Carol thought to herself.

Tobin opened the door and his face lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of Carol. She smiled back.

“Carol! Welcome! I see you brought your world-famous cookies!” Tobin hugged her unexpectedly.

“Well, what’s left of the world,” Carol joked.

Tobin laughed hysterically. “Carol you are SO funny!” he patted her on the back. Carol raised her eyebrows questioningly and entered the party.

Inside she immediately saw a familiar face and felt comforted: Michonne. She walked over to the beautiful woman, looking even more gorgeous in a bright red blouse to complement her dark skin. Carol put her hand on her shoulder, and Michonne turned around.

“Carol!” Michonne exclaimed and smiled, giving her a half-hug. Carol put her cookies down on a table and hugged her friend back. Michonne gave the best hugs, next to Daryl.

“It’s good to see you,” Carol said, and more quietly: “I can’t stand these people.”

Michonne laughed. “Me neither,” she whispered into Carol’s ear. The two woman laughed and bantered for a few moments and then separated to mingle with the different guests.

Carol talked with Rick, Sasha, Maggie, Glenn, and a few Alexandrians throughout the night. It was essentially torture for all of Rick’s group to be putting on this facade, but they knew it was what they needed to do to survive in this place. It seemed so silly compared to everything they’ve had to do up to this point.

Towards the end of the party, and three champagne glasses later, Carol decided to call it a night. She was disappointed that Daryl had not shown, but not surprised. This wasn’t his type of thing, she KNEW that, but she couldn’t help but feel a hint of sadness that her favorite person wasn’t there to help her through the party. Carol walked out the door and into the crisp, cool autumn night.

A few feet from the steps, Carol saw a light from the door being opened and a shadow appear from behind her.

“Carol! Wait!” Tobin rushed to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Carol put on her fake smile yet again, and turned to him. “Hey, Tobin. Thanks for a great party. I’m tired so I’m going back home and calling it a night,” she said, not wanting to interact with anyone else for a whole month.

“Before you go - I just wanted to say thank you, for coming, and bringing your cookies, and just for being you,” Tobin said kindly.

Carol laughed softly. “Well thanks Tobin! Goodnight!”

Tobin grabbed her before she could fully turn away, and kissed her gently on the mouth. His lips tasted like her cookies, and she smiled to herself. But during this kiss, she couldn’t help but think about someone else.

Tobin pulled away, and Carol was speechless. “I... don’t know what to say,” she looked him in the eyes.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. Goodnight,” he replied, going back inside.

Carol sighed and stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened. What has gotten into him? she thought. She touched her lips, the feeling of Tobin on her mouth still lingering, and her mind wandered to Daryl. She decided to give him another visit before going back to her house for the night.

***

30 minutes earlier

Daryl awoke suddenly, in a cold sweat, from a nightmare that he forgot as soon as he sat up from the couch. He looked outside and saw it was completely dark out. “Oh shit,” he grumbled.

He had meant to go to the party, he really did - he didn’t want to disappoint Carol or the rest of the group, so he figured he could at least show for 15 minutes or so. He put on his angel wing vest and headed out the door.

Daryl jogged lightly toward’s Togin’s house, or whatever the hell his name was, and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what looked like a man and a woman kissing outside of Tobin’s house. He didn’t want them to see him, so he crouched in the shadows and waited for them to pass so he could go inside. But then he realized who it was when the man pulled away: Tobin and Carol.

He couldn’t hear what they were saying, and his mind got foggy. He could feel a tinge of jealousy and the heat of anger boiling up inside of him as he saw Carol smiling at Tobin.

“What the fuck?” Daryl grumbled. He quietly ran back to his house, his blood boiling in his veins. He didn’t understand why he felt like this, but he knew he was really fucking pissed off. How dare Tobin touch Carol? He barely knows her. He has no idea what she’s been through; he doesn’t know about Sophia, or the prison, or Terminus. He doesn’t know anything. He has NO right to get near her. He walked angrily up his steps and into his house, slamming the door.

***

Carol walked up to Daryl’s door and knocked quietly; no answer. She tried again; no answer. She turned the knob slowly and opened the door to find Daryl sitting alone in the dark with his arms crossed, staring at the wall.

Carol drew her eyebrows together in puzzlement.

“Everything okay...?” she began, but was cut off by her surly friend.

“Everything’s fucking dandy,” Daryl grunted in reply.

“Woah, okay. No need to be so damn grumpy. Where the hell were you? I needed you there.”

“Seems like you were just fine on your own. Seems like Togin kept you company.”

Carol sighed. “First of all, his name is Tobin. Second of all, he’s really not that bad unlike the rest of the Alexandrians. What exactly is bothering you?” Carol moved from the doorway and picked up the matches on the table to light a candle, then proceeded to sit down next to Daryl. “I’m here for you. You can talk to me.”

Daryl stood up from the couch and rounded on her. “You haven’t been there for me! You’ve been busy sucking up to these Alexandrian pricks! And that’s not all you’ve been busy doing!”

“Excuse me?” Carol felt anger bubbling up from her stomach. “I’m doing this for US - for ALL of us. We NEED this place. You, me, Rick, everyone. We need to get on their good side first, and then we need to take this place.”

Daryl crossed his arms and paced across the room. Without looking at her, he shouted, “And how is kissing random assholes gonna help us?!”

Carol then too stood up from the couch and shouted back: “HE kissed ME! I never reciprocated! And I don’t see why it’s any of your damn business who I kiss!”

“Its my business because I don’t trust him!” Daryl exclaimed, stepping closer to Carol. “He’s using you!”

“That’s bullshit, Daryl, and you know it! He actually cares about me and I can’t seem to understand why that bothers you so much!”

“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!” Daryl shouted, inching closer to Carol with every word. “Because I’ve loved you since the beginning of this goddamn mess, since people started coming back to life and eating other people’s brains. Since Atlanta, since the fucking cherokee flower. I love you goddamnit,” Daryl ended more softly than he began and looked down at his shoes, suddenly losing all his nerve.

Carol closed the distance between them and reached gently towards his cheek; Daryl flinched away as he did all the way back on Hershel’s farm, a million lifetimes ago. She didn’t back off, however, she never had; she took another step closer and cupped his cheek in her hand. He leaned into it like a puppy craving the comfort of a touch. Her hand moved to the back of his neck, and he uncrossed his arms, putting them on her waist. They looked into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity, until finally, they both closed the gap between them and gently pressed their lips to each others’. The kiss was kind, and soft, as he had always been with her, and then slowly more passionate. She leaned into him and he leaned into her, her hands in his hair, and his on the small of her back and the back of her neck. She reveled in his warmth and taste; he felt like comfort; he felt like home. At last, they finally broke apart and rested their foreheads upon each others’.

“Wow,” Daryl whispered.

Carol giggled softly. “Yeah.”

She leaned in for one more quick peck on the lips. “Just for the record, I love you too.”


End file.
